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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WV. W'ARNER, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS.

s'PEcmcATro'N forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,909,01ated November 29, 189s. Application filed March 3, 1898. lSerial Naim-2,403. (No model.)

T all whom, it may concer-n:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. WARNER, 0f Freeport, in the county of Stephenson and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Checks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a'part of thisspecica- This invention relates to improvements in door-checks for use with doors having springs applied thereto by which they are closed, and refers more specifically to that class of such devices in which the elasticity of a confined body of air is employed to prevent the sudden closing of the door under the impulse of its closing-spring.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan section of a device embodying my invention, showing a door and door-frame, the former in its closed position. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device, showing the door in its open position. Fig. 3 is a modified form of the device. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a further modification.

In said drawings, A designates a door jamb or frame, and B a door hinged thereto.

O designates an air-cylinder; C', a piston therein; D, a lever pivoted to the door and connected with the piston, and E a link connected at one end with the lever and pivoted at its opposite end to the door-jamb A.

The cylinder C is closed at one end by an end wall O2, except for a small passage c, in which is located a suitable inlet-valve to permit the passage of air into the cylinder loehind the piston C. Said cylinder is pivoted at its closed end to a lug b, secured in any suitable manner to the door. The piston C is connected with the lever D by means of a connecting rod or bar C3, and the lcylinder is provided in its open end with a guide O4, which serves to maintain the rod at all times in proper relation to the cylinder.

The lever D is pivoted at one end to a lug b', secured in any suitable manner to the door, and at its opposite end is pivotally connected with the free end of the link E, which latter pivotally engages at its opposite end a bearing-lug c, attached to the door-jamb. For convenience of construction and assembling the parts of the device the lugs b b', to which the cylinder and lever D are pivoted, respectively, are formed integral with a base casting or plate B', secured in any suitable manner to the door, the cylinder being attached to one end of said casting and the lever to the opposite end thereof.

The lever D, as shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3, is bent or offset between its ends and comprises two parts D D2, parallel with each other, and a transverse connecting part D3. The lever is so arranged that when the door is in its closed'position the parts D' D2 thereof assume aparallel relation to the inner face of the door. The connecting-rod C3 is attached to the lever at the intersection of the parts Dl Ds by means of a pivot-pin d, and said connecting rod extends in alinement with the part Dl of the lever when the door is in its closed position, as shown in Fig. 1. The transverse part D3 of the lever is made of such length as to bring the part D2 thereof laterally outside of and closely adjacent and parallel to thecylinder when the door is in its closed position, thereby permitting the cylinder to be located closely adjacent to the inner end of the lever D and said parts to be closed in compact form.

The construction described permits the outer end of the lever to be folded closely upon the cylinder and at the same time permits the connecting-rod C3 to engage the same at a point sufficiently remote from the inner end of the lever to produce the required movement in the piston when the lever is swung on its pivot. The link E is so arranged and attached to the door-j amb that when the parts are in their closed position said link is parallel with the part D2 of the lever and folds upon the same in the manner shown in Fig. 1.

The opening of the door acts through the link E, which is attached to the door-jamb, to swing the lever D about the pivot-lug bto move the free end thereof away from the adjacent end of the cylinder.- This movement causes the piston attached to said lever to be IOO moved from the outer to the adjacent inner end of the cylinder, which will act to draw air into the cylinder through the valve-opening c, which air is confined between the closed end of the cylinder and the piston and acts, when the door is closed, as a cushion to retard the outward movement of the piston in a manner common in such devices.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the hinge B2, by which the door is connected with the jamb A,is provided with an actuatingspring, against the tension of which the door is opened and which serves to close the door when released, said hinge being of any ordinary or preferred construction.

In Fig. 3 is shown a somewhat modified form of construction in which the closingspring of the door is attached directly to the door-check instead of being applied to the hinges. The other parts of the device are like those shown in Figs. l and 2, and such similar parts are designated by common reference-letters. In said Fig. 3, F designates an expansion coil-spring attached at one end to the cylinder or door and at its other end to a part which has relative movement to the same. As herein shown, one end of said spring is attached to a lug c', secured to or formed integral with the outer end of the cylinder, and the opposite end thereof is attached to the lever D, adjacent to the part D thereof. Conveniently the pivot-pin d, by vwhich the connecting-rod C3 is attached to the lever D, will be extended a short distance beyond said parts to afford means for securing said adjacent end of the spring thereto. The opening of the door acts to swing the lever away from the cylinder and thereby to expand said spring, and when the door is released the compression of the spring will act to close the same in a familiar manner.

An important advantage arising from the use of the construction described is the compactness of the device when in its closed position, the parts of said device being so con` structed as to fold upon and overlie each other closely adjacent to the door. The device is for this reason especially applicable for use with screen or other temporary doors which are placed upon the outside of the door-frame opposite to and in close proximity with the permanent door. The limited space between said screen or other temporary door and the permanent door renders it desirable that a cushioning device or check used upon such screen-door must possess great compactness when the door is in its closed position. The construction of the device herein illustrated enables it to be used in such location, thereby obviating the necessity of placing the same upon the outside of the door in position to be exposed to the weather.

Another and important advantage of the construction described arises from the fact that the arrangement of the lever and link is such with relation to the cylinder as to provide such movement between the parts whereby the piston is moved to the outer limit `of its stroke within the cylinder just before the door is closed, so that the resistance offered to the closing of the door through said piston and levers is released at this time, thereby permitting the full force of the actuating-spring to be freely directed to the closing of the door. The device, therefore,while retarding the movement of the door during the greater portion of its travel or swing, operates to release the resistance due to the cushioning body of air just before the door reaches its closed position, thereby permitting the springs to exert their full force to securely close the door.

In Fig. 4 I have shown my invention employed in connection with a door-spring made in accordance with the invention of my prior patent, No. 567,329, granted September 8, 1896. In said fgure,F designates a d oor-jamb, and G a door hinged thereto. II designates the spring as a whole, and I the cylinder of the door-check. The spring consists of a single blank or piece of wire bent between its ends to form a coil-spring H and a loop H2, projecting centrally from the spring, which is adapted to be pivotally connected with the door, and laterally-separated arms H3, formed by the ends of the wire or blank, which are pivotally connected with the door jamb or frame. The loop H2 corresponds with the lever D of the previously-described constructions, the arms l-la with the link E, and the spring I-I with the pivotal connection between said lever and link. The piston-rod I is connected with the loop H2 by means of a cross-V bar a, which is rigidly attached to said loop and which has pivotal engagement with the piston-rod. The operation of the device is substantially like the construction heretofore described. The cylinderI requires, however, to be located entirely outside of the spring Il, in order that the device may be closely folded upon the door when the door is in its closed position.

A further advantage of the construction herein described is its simplicity and cheapness. The parts may be cheaply made and require but little labor and skill to assemble the same and mount them in position upon the door.

I claim as my invention- 1. A door-check comprising a cylinder pivotally connected with the door with its lon` gitudinal axis substantially parallel with the plane of the door when the latter is closed, a piston in said cylinder which stands at the inner end of the cylinder when the door is closed, a link pivotally attached to the inner face of the door-jamb and a lever pivoted at its inner end to the door and connected at its outer end with the outer end of said link, said lever being pivotally connected between its ends with said piston and being pivoted to the door in such manner that its outer end will swing away from the door when the latter is being opened and will project beyond the inner edge of the door when the latter is fully opened.

IIO

A door-check cornprising a cylinder pivotally connected with the door, a piston in said cylinder which stands at the inner end thereof when the door is closed, a link pivoted to theinner face of the door-jamb, a lever pivoted at one end to the door and' at its opposite end to the free end of said link, said lever being provided between its ends with an offset portion and a rod connecting said piston with the lever, said rod being connected with the lever between said offset portion and the end of the lever which is pivoted to the door.

3. A door-check comprising a cylinder pivotally connected with the door, a piston in the cylinder which stands at the inner end thereof when the door is closed, a link pivotally secured at one end to the door-frame at a point at a greater distance from the plane of the door than the aXis of the cylinder, a lever pivoted at its inner end to the door and at its outer end to the free end of said link and a rod connecting said piston and lever and pivotally connected with the lever between the ends of the latter, said lever being so located on the door that it will project at its outer end beyond the inner edge of the door when the latter is open.

4. A door-check comprising a cylinder pivotally connected with the door, a piston in said cylinder which stands at the inner end thereof when the door is closed, a link pivotally connected with the inner face of the doorjamb, a lever pivoted at one end to the door and at its opposite end to the free end of the said link, said lever comprising two parallel longitudinal portions and a transverse interthe lever will project beyond the inner edge j of the door.

5. A door-check comprising a cylinder which is pivotally connected with the door with its longitudinal axis substantially parallel with the plane of the door when the latter is closed, a piston in said cylinder which is located at the inner end thereof when the door is closed, a link pivotally attached to the inner face of the door-jamb, a lever pivoted at its inner end to the door and at its outer end to said link and conn ected between its ends with said piston, said link being pivoted to the door in such manner that its outer end will swing away froin the door when the latter is being opened and will project beyond theinner edge of the door when the latter is fully opened and an expansive, coiled spring connected at one end with the door and at its opposite end with said lever.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 23d day of Feb-A ruary, A. D. 1898.

GEORGE W. WARNER.

Witnesses:

W. S. BEST, C. F. HILDRETH. 

